“While the Genpets hang on the store shelves they are in a form of hibernation. Each Genpet package has a special nutrient feeding tube attached to it, supplying our specially formulated mix and keeping them healthy and asleep,” according to a Genpets features section.

A straight forward list but I liked what was posted about feeding the outdoor cats. I used to treat my outdoor cats to liver from the grocery store. Not too often and bring enough so they aren’t sharing (chicken livers worked best). Generally, I gave them a can of cat food each day. Sometimes there was left over meat from dinner or cooking. I never gave them bacon grease, that would probably make them sick. But, meat we boiled for soup, scraps we cut off from steaks and so on, gave the cats that little extra. They were never fat house cats but always healthy and we never had mice in the house as long as we had cats around. (I can’t say the same about skunks though. For some reason my cats became friends with the skunks. Really, not being sarcastic about that).

Spay and neuter. Outdoor cats can have 2 litters of kittens each year. Don’t let it happen and end up with too many cats.

Vaccinations at the Vet.

Space in the barn for shelter on really cold days. (If they choose to use it).

Don’t collar them. Collars can get caught on things.

Keep track of their comings and goings (so you notice if they go missing).

Since they work so hard, our barn cats deserve to be treated like other high-performing work animals. I have heard people state opinions about how you shouldn’t feed them much because then they won’t be hungry enough to chase their own dinner! Nonsense! If you want an animal to perform work for you, then you should feed it adequate nutrition so it has the energy and stamina to perform.

Cats need a diet that contains quality protein. Living outside, chasing rodents, eating rodents, running from the big dogs, all these activities require strong bodies and lots of energy. Cats are carnivores. They only eat meat. Cats do not need vegetables, sweets, or grain fillers. Cats often do not drink enough water. Feeding the canned cat food in addition to the dry, increases their water intake. In the winter, when bringing warm water to your backyard chickens and dairy goats, make sure you save some for the cats, too. I know my barn cats enjoy a warm drink of water on a freezing cold morning.

Try to give the cats a place to eat where they won’t be chased off by livestock entering the barn, or in our case the dog trying to “share” the dinner. We put shelves up in the barn that the cats can access, and we feed the cats on the shelves.

What’s wrong with pets? The problem is that, you know, we bring these creatures into existence that are perpetually dependent on us. They’re dependent on us for when they eat, when they drink, when they go out, they’re really not animals, in the sense that they cannot take care of themselves, but they’re certainly, obviously, not human, so they’re just basically subject to our whims. Now, understand something: our pets, my pets, your pets, everybody’s pets, are property, whether it’s in the United States, or Canada, or any place else, they’re property. They have no intrinsic value, they only have the extrinsic or external value that we accord to them. So, I love my dogs, and I choose to value them highly, I choose to value those pieces of property that I own highly. But the law doesn’t require me to do so. The law allows me to value my animal property very low, and so as long as I give my dogs food, water, and shelter, I’m not violating the law. I don’t have to show them affection, I don’t have to have them living in the house, I don’t have to treat them as members of my family. And indeed, if I want, I can drive them to a kill shelter today. and say: “Here: I don’t want my dogs anymore, if you can’t find a home for them, you can kill them.” Or I can take them to a veterinarian who is willing to kill them, or I can basically kill them myself, as long as I do it humanely.

So they are property. And I object to that. I don’t think we can justify treating non-humans, whether for food, or for clothing, or as pets, I don’t think we can justify treating them as property. So, I’m just trying to be clear on what you’re suggesting here. I don’t believe you’re arguing that we should be treating cattle and codfish more like dogs and cats, and I’m sure you’re not arguing that we treat dogs and cats more like cattle and codfish, so what are you arguing? I’m arguing that we ought to get rid of domestication altogether. I’m arguing that, if animals matter morally, we ought to stop bringing them into existence and using them as resources. That we ought to take care of the animals that exist here now, but we ought to stop bringing domesticated animals into existence, and you know what, it would not only be a good moral thing to do, it would be good for our health, because I think the evidence that animal products are detrimental to health is increasing, and the reality is animal agriculture is an ecological disaster.

I don’t agree with not eating animals or animal products. But, I do think we have misplaced ourselves on the food chain. Actually, we have pretty much entirely removed ourselves from the food chain and eliminated most of the predatory animals which could have kept us as part of that chain. Our population has exploded due to putting ourselves on the top of the food chain. Our demands on the food sources of the planet have increased due to increased population. This is the real problem with domesticated animals and animal agriculture. We have warped the food chain to suit ourselves. Ironic that the very agriculture we created to make ourselves head of the food chain is now harming us.

Fish make quiet pets. Fake fish, or jellyfish, make even better pets. A friend posted this to Facebook today. No one guessed they were fake until she said so. How often does anyone see jellyfish to know better. But, she said they do move. A great fake pet. All you have to do is keep the tank and water clean, but without pet food and poo that won’t be such a big job.

Should pets be for (responsible) adults only? I know pets from animal shelters are particular about who takes home a pet. Pet stores are not. People giving away puppies, kittens and other young animals are not always concerned about where they wind up either. If people really are animal lovers how can they risk giving away that animal without some hope it will be taken care of and not end up feral, neglected or dead?

The Huffington Post says you can have a pet even if you’re allergic to them. It’s just a matter of:

Cleaning more often.

Using pet-free zones.

Taking more drugs.

None of these are great options. Likely a list developed by someone who does not have much, or any, allergies. A pet-free zone in your house does not help when you usually share the house and facilities like laundry. Clean more often… pretty much the same issue. Pet hair has little fine, pin hairs which get into everything. As for taking more drugs… NO! Thank you.

Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the U.S. and approximately half of all Americans test positive for at least one of the 10 most common allergens, including cat allergies, according to a profile from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) reports that about 15-30 percent of people with allergies have allergic reactions to cats and dogs. With more than 100 million pets in the United States this leads to high allergy morbidity as people are exposed to animal allergens when visiting friends and family or even in public spaces like schools and offices.

Try a pet which does not cause allergies.

If even the hypoallergenic pets give you allergies consider an unusual pet, less fluffy. Snakes, lizards, turtles and fish are not for everyone so consider a pet which won’t cause allergies and needs very little care, like a pet rock. Just a little dusting or a run through the dishwasher… what other pet can you do that with?

In the end, how do you live with a pet allergy without getting rid of your pet? …

Give it to someone else and visit now and then.

Buy a second home for your pet to live in.

Or the even less popular option, taxidermy.

Or, you could just take all those drugs and hope your pet doesn’t out live you.

It looks a little too fake for me. If it moved around, stood up or even stretched the back legs that would help. It’s more like a cat pillow that meows. Honestly, I think it’s creepy, not cuddly.

Possibly I’m biased because I like cats, real cats. I just don’t want them locked up in the house. In that way, a fake cat would be a compromise. But, I’d still rather be pet free than have a cat this undemanding.

Even the pet food company believes in pet free zones. It is just a respect for other people. Pet owners who want to bring their animals everywhere are unfair to their animals and the other people around them. Do you really think the animals can’t tell when people are upset or angry? Why bring the pet you claim to love into a situation where they are going to feel that way? Even if you can’t respect other people – how about thinking of your pet instead of yourself?

Myself, I do not think any workplace is a place for pets. As I have written before, I have allergies to animals which causes me to have asthma attacks. For those who don’t know what asthma is – an attack is like drowning in the open air. So I would rather not have pets in any public, indoor area. Workplace, shopping centres, doctor’s offices and all other places people should be able to go and not need to have health issues due to someone bringing their pet.

The only place I can understand bringing a pet to is a veterinarian office or pet food store. A place which does not cater to pets should be a people place and pet free. This is not against animals or pet owners – it’s just common sense.

For all those who want to bring their pets everywhere… why? Are they your security blanket? Do you really think the animal can’t do without you for any amount of time? I wonder how many pet owners are smothering their pets instead of giving them some space?

Even Purina believes in pet free zones where people don’t cart around pets or hide or smuggle them in. Seriously, why do some people seem so unable to leave their pet some freedom?